


Unlikely Friends

by eisneRiegan



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Budding Love, F/M, Fluff, Light-Hearted, crochet is nice for bonding, start of a relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:28:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24785431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eisneRiegan/pseuds/eisneRiegan
Summary: Tiana signed up Judith for a workshop to shake her off for a day, only for Judith to make an unlikely friend.
Relationships: Claude von Riegan's Father/Tiana von Riegan | Claude von Riegan's Mother, Judith von Daphnel/Nader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Unlikely Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, this has been sitting in my folder for so long and got around to finish it today. We need more of them older gen and not just Claude's gen.

"You know what you need, Judith? A new hobby." A disgruntled Tiana said to her friend one day.

The two of them were in a cafe, waiting for Tiana's date, a man who goes by the name Hasan. Hasan is a bit older than the two of them, but he's a successful businessman from Almyra and he seeks to expand his business into Fodlan.

He didn't count on falling in love with someone who accidentally spilled coffee on his suit the first time he arrived in Fodlan. Now he has two reasons of why he wanted to do business in Fodlan.

Tiana is the most sought out bachelorette, and news of her seeing someone shady from a different place had reached her best friend and distant cousin, Judith.

Who's more protective of her compared to her own brother.

Godfrey's pretty chill about it, when Tiana finally announced that she's seeing someone. Her father's only reaction to that was "I hope he won't regret it and return you to us after a week".

Judith, on the other hand, will not let Hasan have his way that easily. She's always third wheeling on their dates, and demand that Hasan ask her permission first before meeting Tiana in public.

They can't have a Riegan daughter get caught up in any scandal after all.

"What do you mean? I have plenty of hobbies to keep myself entertained." Judith replied. 

"Apart from tagging along on my dates with my future husband. Or terrorising him." Tiana pointed out. 

"Whoa there, lady. Aren't you ringing the bells too early?"

"No, I'm not. Godfrey likes him, my father likes him. What else is there? You know how those two usually react to my suitors." 

"Still... I don't trust him. You've only known him for like, three months. It's too early to ring the wedding bells." 

Tiana only rolled her eyes.

She really needs to set Judith up with a new hobby.

The following week, Tiana had messaged Judith that she wanted to learn how to crochet and had signed the two of them up for a lesson.

Judith, accustomed to Tiana's random need to learn something new, agreed to it and she agreed to meet up with her at the shop where the owner is holding some workshop for newbies.

Judith arrived early and had picked an optimal seat, checking her phone every now and then, waiting for the updates that Tiana regularly send to her about the traffic.

"Ah, no. Sorry, this seat is taken." Judith said to a rather handsome man who tried to pull out the chair to sit.

"Oh, sorry." He replied, his accent a bit thick to be from around the place. Probably a tourist.

The shop is pretty popular after all. 

The man shuffled away, taking a seat at the very back and checking his phone as well.

Judith watched him curiously.

There's something about his rugged look that caught her attention, even for a brief moment.

She won't deny that he's handsome, but he seem to be out of place in this workshop, being the only man there.

Judith tried to decipher if her fascination with him is because of that lovely scar on his face, or if it's the bushy beard.

Or the fact that he reminds her of someone. 

Minutes before the workshop starts, Judith received a message from Tiana, saying that she's sorry that she can't make it. 

"Why that little–!" Judith cursed, gripping her phone tightly.

Tiana knows that she's not one to excuse herself suddenly when the workshop is about to start. 

Disgruntled, Judith sat through the workshop, learning the basics of crochet. About halfway through, the instructor had them pair up to check on each other's progress for the final piece they're going to make after the workshop, like a graduation of sorts after that day.

Judith had no choice but be paired up with the man from earlier, who introduced himself as Nader.

"So...what do you plan to make...?" Nader asked tentatively.

He won't deny he didn't get intimidated by Judith earlier, but for the sake of the workshop, he has to talk to her.

"I honestly have no idea." Judith replied, staring at the yarns available to them. "You? What do you plan to make?"

Nader looked around to make sure that the owner who's been teaching them is not within earshot.

"No idea at all. I was suppose to meet up with a friend but he ditched me. He said he wanted to learn this...thing, so that he can make something for his girlfriend."

Judith let out an amused "Huh".

They're in the same boat.

Who would have expected that.

"I think I know what we should do." Judith told him.

"Really?"

"Let's make some coasters for them. It's quick, easy and light enough to smack them in the face with once we hand it to them."

Nader chortled at that.

"I have never thrown something at his face before since we were children."

Judith took the yarns, the right size for the crochet hook for the two of them and they started working on the coasters.

And when they were done after thirty minutes or so, with a lot of bickering ("You really hold that hook weirdly. And the way you hold the yarn. No wonder your fingers get stiff." Nader told her to which Judith only replied with "Shut up. You can barely remember the loops needed to be done without asking me every round."), the two left the workshop early and separated as unlikely friends.

They have exchanged numbers of course, to update one another about how their coaster giving went. But of course, being unlikely friends, their communication was awkward to the point they didn't really talk again after that day.

Several weeks later, they met again in one event hall where the Riegan family have been invited to by Hasan, as he partners up with them for business (and securing personal ties) purposes.

Judith had tagged along and noticed Nader loitering in one corner, with a drink in hand. She approached him after making sure that Tiana is stuck with Godfrey and will not be sneaking off with Hasan to have some private moments.

"Hey." Judith greeted him, raising a hand to give him a small wave.

Nader blinked then gave her a small smile. "Hey."

Judith stood next to him, watching the event unfold.

"Didn't expect to see you here." She said conversationally.

"Likewise." Nader replied politely.

An awkward silence fell between the two of them, and Nader really wanted to get away from it.

It's not that he doesn't like Judith, he kind of like her in all honesty. But the awkwardness is too much for him to handle.

"How did your friend reacted to the coaster?" Nader finally asked.

Judith only rolled her eyes. "She loved it. Despite the fact I tried to make it as ugly as I could. She didn't even listened to what I have to say about her ditching me."

Nader rumbled off a laughter at that. "At least she didn't mistook it as a dishcloth or something."

She raised an eyebrow at that questioningly and Nader only shrugged as response.

"That's how he saw it first. I should have chucked it hard at his face..."

Judith laughed. "Should've chucked it hard with your fist."

"He forbade me to hit his face. We barely do boxing workouts ever since he met the love of his life." He rolled his eyes. "He only met her once, claimed it's love at first sight and now...he plans to ditch the arranged marriage for him back at home just for her. Things will be really chaotic once we get home..."

"Well, us women do care about looks." Judith slyly winked at him, making Nader frown in confusion.

Is she saying she's into his looks or actually just stating facts to his face...?

He didn't ask for the scar on his face, which he was conscious with before. It was a laboratory accident, where they actually blew up something. But he got used to it since it actually added to his charm in a way.

A few feet away from them, Hasan and Tiana watched the unlikely friends.

"I didn't know they knew one another." Hasan commented as he placed a hand on Tiana's waist.

"Neither did I. Who's that handsome man she's talking to?" Tiana asked curiously. "This is the first time I've seen Judy talk to another man out of her own volition."

"That's Nader, my cousin." Hasan replied. "Well, I say cousin but we're not really related by blood but we grew up thinking that way so..."

"I see..."

The two of them continued to watch, both forming the same devious scheme of getting those two together.

It's a guaranteed fail-proof plan when they both put their head together.


End file.
